Shrink Sleeve Installation Tools

Shrink Sleeve Installation Accessories

     Covalence (formerly Raychem) heat shrinkable sleeves require very few accessories or installation tools to put on.  That being said, there are a number of things we consider to be accessories that are either required for installation - or can be handy to have on hand - or could be necessary if certain conditions exist (damage to a mainline coating, etc). 

     Here is a list and explanation of the different things we consider to be tools and accessories that we sell regularly.

JS-2601 - If you want to install shrink sleeves, you're going to need to have a proper torch for that install.  Rosebuds will not work.  Cutting torches will not work.  You must have a propane torch that is able to put out a broad, bushy, yellow flame.  Working off of bottle pressure will also not be great, so you want to be certain you have a regulator.  Beyond that, you want a long hose (size does matter) because you don't want to be lugging your bottle all over the place.  Our JS 2601 Torch comes with torch head, torch handle (with pilot light), 30 foot hose and regulator.

Silicone Roller - One of the final steps during installation of a heat shrink sleeve is to use a silicone roll the overlap area of the shrink sleeve -- and to have on hand in case the installers do a poor job and inadvertently trap an air bubble somewhere (easy to see with a visual inspection). 

S-1301M Bulk Epoxy / Calibrated Pumps / Primer 15 Kits - S1301M is our two part epoxy that is designed specifically to be used with our DIRAX product, our HTLP60 product and our HTLP80 product.  It can and has also been used with WPCT, WPC100M, Flexclad and other products.  It is most commonly sold in the S1301m Primer 15 Kit (designed to coat 15 square feet of pipe) but can be used in larger projects in its bulk form in order to offer a more economical solution.

Epoxy Heater and Blanket - when working with epoxy in cold weather, it is imperative that the epoxy be warm.  Much like honey, epoxy gets much thicker in cold weather and can even be so think that it is difficult/impossible to mix properly.  With smaller kits, simply keeping the epoxy in a truck can be enough to manage temperature, but with the larger bulk kits, that often won't be the case.  In those cases, you will often want a drum heater on hand to keep the epoxy properly (but not over-) heated.

Bulk Epoxy Accessory Kit - When using the bulk S1301M epoxy, you will need separately:  mixing stick, mixing cups, applicator pads and gloves for hand protection.  This kit contains 100 of each.

Filler - we keep multiple sizes and variations of butyl mastic on hand.  This comes in handy for many different applications including:  packing mastic on a large step down to ease the shrink sleeve transition; packing mastic around bolts of a flange to offer full protection, packing mastic on a small casing pipe to give a Caseal something to shrink down to when the shrink ratio will not quite meet the requirements, things like that.  It is just handy to have around - regularly sold in 10' and 20' lengths.

Perp Tape - stands for Poly Ethylene Repair Patch.  Used to repair damage to factory applied three layer PE coatings.  Much like cutting a patch out and fixing your jeans - this is a roll of material where installers cut custom patches to cover and exceed damaged area to PE line coatings.  Available in both 60C and 80C varieties, PERP is regularly used for repair.

Perp Melt Stick - much like an FBE repair stick, PERP Melt Sticks are used to repair pinhole type damage to PE coatings.  Simply melt the adhesive and pack it into a small damaged area in order to perform the repair.

FBE Repair Sticks - sold in 5# boxes; these are the green sticks used to repair minor damage to FBE coatings.  This could be some physical damage - or damage caused by jeeping the line. 

Torch for Shrinking Shrink Sleeves?

What Kind of Torch Should I Use When Installing Shrink Sleeves?

A JS-2601 Torch Kit

         Question:  Does it matter what kind of torch you use to install our shrink sleeves?

     Answer:  Does it matter if you use a philips or a flathead screwdriver?  Does it matter if you use wood nails or masonry nails?  Does it matter if you use a chainsaw or a skill saw?  Of course it does.  No matter what project you are working on...you must have the right tool for the job!   The right tool for installing heat shrink sleeves on pipelines is the JS-2601 Torch. 

     I've seen it time and again:  men in the field trying to install our shrink sleeves with a welding torch; with a rosebud; with a torch that can practically double as the engine on the Space Shuttle Colombia.  It really is crazy; because those types of torches will not shrink the sleeve properly!

     The JS-2601 Torch Kit includes a torch head, a pilot light, a thirty foot hose, an adjustment know AND a regulator.  You simply supply the propane tank and you'll have everything else you need right there. 

     I know, I know...you've got a 12 year old weed burner out in your shop...and those cobwebs will come right off after you fire that torch up.  Sure, the hose is a little bit cracked....but it will hold for awhile.  Your torch also probably operates at whatever the bottle pressure is...that is not good. 

     You're working on a multi-million dollar pipeline.  Somebody spent tens of thousands of dollars paying for that pipeline to be coated in a factory.  Somebody spent thousands of dollars buying shrink sleeve to coat the field joints.  Please, please spend the couple hundred dollars to buy a torch that is designed to install these sleeves (and please spend the TENS of dollars to buy a silicone roller which is used as the final step during the installation process).  It doesn't make any sense to use a ratty old torch for installing shrink sleeves...there is just too much that can go wrong - and coating mistakes are incredibly, incredibly expensive.